Wednesday, August 02, 2006

End of the line

Birthday supper at Jungle Jim's, next to the Comfort Inn on the TCH in Gander. I asked for a port after dinner to general mirth from the staff who said that could not be obtained in these parts - I pointed to two bottles behind the bar which turned out to be port. Ah, the old port trick! Got two large shots for $10 - a bargain and a great way to round off the day.
A guy in the hotel, Lorne Foote, left a message on the smart car about the Cross Country Relay - looks like we may have to miss out on that as they depart St. John's for Port Aux Basques on the 12th of August.
We went to visit the North Atlantic Aviation Museum which, among other things, tells the story of the construction of Gander Airport which played a key role in the North Atlantic air bridge in WW2. We have much to be thankful for the part the newfie people played in both world wars. Splendid museum with an old Karrier mobile staircase parked out front. We also went to Gander Airport for a quick butchers - there are flights to St. John's and Ontario from here.
We stopped over at Terra Nova National Park for a shrimp wrap special lunch in an idyllic setting on the lakeshore. Quick stop at the Avondale Train Station - more "Newfie Bullet" - then taking the Admiral's Coast scenic drive into St. John's. We are now staying in Curtis House at Memorial University [$54 per night for a twin room, £28 approx]. Last night we dined at Bitters graduate bar. Today is Regatta day, a holiday in these parts, and many folk will be headed for the boat races on Quidi Vidi Lake. The maritime history archive is closed so no research today.
[Newfoundland has a population of approximately half a million people. The province is almost one and three quarters times the size of Great Britain.]

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